FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a vehicle body front reinforcement assembly according to the related art. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the conventional vehicle body front reinforcement assembly of FIG. 1 when the vehicle experiences a small overlap collision.
The conventional vehicle body front reinforcement assembly includes a front side beam 110 extending from the front of a dash panel 140 towards an engine compartment, side sills 120 attached to each of two side end portions of a floor panel 150, and a rear lower beam 130 positioned between the side sills 120 and connected to the front side beam 110 thereby forming an assembly that extends in a substantially linear fashion from the front to the rear of the vehicle, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In addition, each side sill 120 extends in a substantially linear fashion from the front to the rear of the vehicle. The conventional vehicle body front reinforcement assembly does not include additional reinforcement between side sill 120 and rear lower beam 130. Thus, the region between side sill 120 and rear lower beam 130 is weak and vulnerable to a collision.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, when a vehicle having the conventional vehicle body front reinforcement assembly collides with a rigid object B in a small overlap collision (e.g. when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or a rigid object such as a tree or utility pole), and the location of the collision is in or adjacent to the weakened region, the rigid object B may impact or become lodged in the weakened area, and transmit strong collision energy to the vehicle. Similarly, in a small overlap collision, the collision may force a vehicle wheel and tire from their original position into the weakened region, again imparting substantial collision energy to the vehicle. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, during a small overlap collision, a vehicle having the conventional vehicle body front reinforcement assembly may rotate around the rigid object or the tire caught in the weakened region, thereby increasing the possibility of a secondary collision.